


Even Perfect Has its Flaws

by SerpentQueen24



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Self-Harm, bughead - Freeform, varchie
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-30
Updated: 2018-07-11
Packaged: 2019-05-31 00:22:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15107861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SerpentQueen24/pseuds/SerpentQueen24
Summary: Betty had always been the perfect girl next door, but when her mom's constant pressure gets to her, someone has to sweep in to save her.WARNING: Contains self harm! Please be careful if this is one of your triggers!





	1. The Moons Tell Her Story

**Author's Note:**

> Please be sure to go check out my other story “Alone.” It follows Jellybean on her journey after running away from her mother! Thanks!

Betty dabbed the dried blood off of her palms, wishing that she could stop. To her, it was impossible. She needed to do this, especially because it was the only way to release her anguish in public. She sprayed her perfume into the air and stepped through it, the perfume landing on her pink cardigan.

As she finished prepping for the day ahead of her, her phone chimed.

Jughead: Meet at Pops for breakfast?

Betty: Sure! As long as it's your treat!

Jughead: As always

She grabbed her backpack and crept down the stairs, trying to avoid her mother. Right as she reached the door, she heard a voice she knew all too well.

"Elizabeth Cooper where do you think you're going? Aren't you going to have breakfast?" Her mom had prepared omelettes.

"I'm meeting Jug at Pops. Thanks though." She said, knowing the response.

"What have I told you about him? He dangerous! You shouldn't be aroun-" With that, Betty closed the door, and skipped towards Pops.

She entered the quiet restaurant, breaking the silence from the door chime. She peered around, looking for her breakfast date. He sat in the booth at the corner, his messy raven curls cascading his forehead. He wore his serpent jacket and jeans, as per usual.

She practically bounced over to him. Whenever she saw him, she automatically felt safer and happier.

"Hey, Betts." He said, in his normal groggy, morning voice. She smiled at him, and he shot back his usual smirk.

"Hey, Juggie. I missed you." She said, a little shyly. They stared at each other for a second, admiring each other's beauty.

"Hey kids, is it gonna be the usual today?" Pop has shown up during their gaze. 

"Oh-uh- yeah. Thanks, Pop." Jughead said, his smirk disappearing.

"You got it." He marched back to the kitchen to prepare their meals.

"So, Juliet, how did you escape the grasps of your mother?" He asked, that devilish smirk reappearing. 

"I barely did! I told her we were meeting, and..." she clenched her hands into fists, "She called you dangerous." She could feel the blood staring to flow, and she decided to stop before it got too bad, quickly grabbing a napkin. She could only hope that Jughead wouldn't notice.

"Well..." his smirk growing, "She isn't wrong, Elizabeth." She hated when anyone used her full name.

"No, Forsythe Jones, she isn't." She knew he did too.

His smirk faded, but his eyes were still soft. "You know I hate when you call me by my name..." 

"You know I do too." She said, trying to defend herself.

He smirked, then that smirk turned into a grin. "Fine, we're even."

"Here you go, kids." Pop had two plates in his hands. He handed the BEHP(Bacon, Eggs, Hashbrowns, Pancakes) Platter to Jughead, and handed Betty her strawberry cream cheese bagel with a side of bacon. She always ordered light, knowing that she could steal from Jughead.

"Thanks, Pop" She said, smiling up at him.

"My pleasure, Betty" He walked away from the table, smiling as always.

"That we are, Jug. That we are." She said grinning at Jughead. 

She began to eat her bagel, eyeing one of Jughead's pancakes. He glanced up, and followed her line of sight straight to the pancake. Hesitantly, he stabbed it with his fork and dropped it on her plate.

"Thank you, Juggie!" She practically squealed. She finished her bagel, pancake, and bacon, and watched Jug finish his platter. Pop came by to pick up the plates, and they stood to pay.

"Do you want a ride to school instead of walking?" He asked gingerly.

"On the motorcycle?" He nodded. "Of course, Jug!" They left the restaurant and climbed onto the bike. Betty held his middle tightly, not wanting to fall off. She knew she was safe right here. This was her escape from reality. Riding on the back of Jug's bike, with the wind in her hair and him right by her side. She was happy and calm.

It came to an end all too soon. They both climbed off of the bike and walked into school together.  
___________________________

They walked towards the common area, She they found Veronica snuggled into Archie. 

"Hey, V!" Betty squeaked happily. 

"Hi!" Veronica replied back, her dark curls creating a waterfall around her face.

None of them realized it, but the 1st period bell had just rang. They all jostled to their classes, hope that the teachers would be forgiving.

Luckily the were, and they all continued their daily routines, Veronica stealing quick kisses from Archie, and Betty stealing quick kisses from Jughead. They finally all met again at lunch. 

"Can we go to the Blue and Gold office for lunch today?" Betty asked.

The group agreed in quiet mumbled and began their journey to the room.

They all settled in, Jughead eating cafeteria pizza, Archie with chicken nuggets, Veronica with a salad, and Betty with her laptop.

"Betts, where's your lunch?" Jughead said, muffled by the pizza in his mouth.

"Oh- I already ate! I just had a chicken sandwich, so..." she trailed off, going back to writing. 

Veronica and Archie began their own conversation, and Jug finished his pizza.

"What are you writing? Our nearest deadline is in two weeks." Jughead said, inquisitively. He had never seen her so focused.

"It's an essay for Biology on how the organs function as a..." He stopped listening, but she continued.

Once he heard her stop, he zoned back in, "Oh, cool." He jumped up, kissing her head, he turned her chair around, and took her hands. Then he felt it. The dry blood, the small crescent shaped wounds. He flipped her hands over, inspecting them. 

He glanced at Veronica, and she hadn't noticed. 

"Hey-um-Arch and Veronica... can we have some- um..."

"Let's go Archiekins." Veronica has gotten the memo, pulling her boyfriend out of the room.

"Jug-"

"Betts, why are you doing this to yourself again?" He was visibly shaking, not understand why she would do this to herself. 

"It just helps, Jug. It doesn't hurt hurt anymore-"

"What? You do this so much it doesn't hurt anymore? Betts, that's not an okay thing to do!"

"I know, Jug. It just helps..." tears pricked her eyes.

"Betts, don't cry." He pulled her in for a hug. Upon releasing her, he found her pulling up sleeves.

This revealed cuts on her arms. Seeing this was unreal for him. He began to cry. He never thought this would happen. Not to her. She was his rock, perfect and strong.

"I-I'm s-sorry, J-juggie." She spike through her sobs. He pulled her in for another hug, wishing that love could radiate through skin. He knew how much pain she was in, and that caused him pain.

"Don't be, Betts. You didn't do anything to me. I did this to you. I wasn't there f-for y-you..." he began to sob. "I'm s-so sorry, Betty..."

"Juggie, I did this to myself." They both calmed down at those words.

"Betty, I think you should seek help. This is not okay. But don't blame yourself. Promise me that." He said, his demeanor and eyes soft.

"Promise." She said back.


	2. Don’t Touch Her

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jughead and Betty decide to “talk”.

It was around 11pm on a Saturday when Betty heard the knocking on her window. She cautiously stood, creeping over to the window. It was only Jughead, his beanie sat lazily, most of his raven curls hanging out.

She sighed of relief and opened the window.

"Hey, Betts. Up for a joyride?" He smirked a bit, knowing her answer.

"I would but I-" He shushed her, putting his finger on her lips.

"We need to talk, and anyway, you deserve a break." He brushed a stray piece of hair behind her ear. His soft blue eyes meeting her emerald green ones. They melted at each other's touch. 

"Fine. But come on in, I'll need a minute to change." She said clearing all obstacles from his path and rushing to her dresser. She pulled out a black skirt, lilac cardigan, and white collared shirt. Jughead plopped down on her bed, watching her dress. He admired her beauty in every way.

"You are so beautiful. Everything about you. Your hair, your body, your personality, your eyes, god your eyes." Jughead said, actually smiling. It was more that his usual smirk.

"Um- Thanks..." She said, her cheeks flushing bright pink.

"You don't have to thank me, I should be thinking you!" She had finished dressing, so he stood. He walked over to her, took her hands, and kissed her on the forehead.

"I-I love you, Betts." Everything froze, they both held their breath. He regretted saying it.

"Oh- I-I'm sorry, Betty. I should have known better. I'm so sorry. I wasn't thi-" Betty cut him off with a kiss. It felt like it went on for longer than either of them expected. Betty finally pulled away.

"I love you too, Juggie." She pulled him back in for another kiss. This one was short, but sweet. 

"So where are we to this time? Pops? Oh! What about that abandoned ware shop with all the old car parts! Or sweet water rive-"

"No, not tonight. I have somewhere special I want to take you." He grinned, taking her hands again. "Let's go." He strode towards the window, heading down first. Betty came down second, whisper yelling, 'IF I FALL DOWN JUGHEAD JONES, YOU BETTER CATCH ME!'

Once they were both safely down the ladder, he took her arm and led her to his bike. "Juggie, it's cold." She said, shivering. He quickly pulled off his Serpent jacket, laying it over her shoulders. 

He, as always, gave her the only helmet he had. She hugged his waist tightly, resting her head on his upper back. She suddenly had a wave of calm come over her. He revved the motor and sped off.   
___________________________________

Jughead drove past Pops, taking them to the Southside. This made Betty a bit nervous, but she knew Jug was there for her.

"Jug, where are we going?" He didn't answer. He was too focused on steering that he hadn't heard her. Figuring she shouldn't bother him, she bit her lip to keep herself quiet. This was another way she self-harmed that no one had figured out, and she hoped that no one ever would. 

Jughead pulled into the parking lot of a building with a sign that stated 'Whyte Wyrm'. She had no idea this place existed, but she trusted Jughead. He climbed off the bike and waited for her to do the same. He took her hands and simply said, "Trust me, Betts." She nodded and followed him towards the door.

As they drew closer, she could hear the drunken yells of the people inside. Jughead could sense her nervousness, and leaned down for a kiss. They walked in, and everyone began yelling to Jughead. 'Hey Boss!' 'Hey Jug'. She stepped to his side and everyone got quiet. 

Jughead took her hand and led her to the bar. He sat her down on a stool, and muttered, "I'll be right back, Betts."

She sat, alone, taking in the sights. Every person around her wore a serpent jacket.

"Well hey there, sweetie pie. What your name?" A drunk serpent had wandered over to her.

"B-Betty." She was too scared not to answer. "W-what's your's?" She asked, trying to be polite.

"Oh- that doesn't matter, Betty." He reaches up to tilt her chin up at him, "Where'd you get that jacket?" She has forgotten she was even wearing it. "I know you're not a serpent..." 

"M-my boyfriend." She said, terrified that he was going to attack her.

"Oh, you're the type with a boyfriend. Well, he isn't here right now, is he? So we can have some fun." He stroked her breast for a second, before reaching to pick her up, and she couldn't fight him. He was a serpent for god sake. She wiggled as much as possible, until she heard an all too familiar voice.

"Put her down, Rosebud. NOW." Jughead has burst out of nowhere, and the whole bar was silent, watching the man called 'Rosebud'.

"Hmph. I didn't know you had a girl, boss. I wouldn't have touched her if I knew you were the boyfriend she was talking about." Rosebud put Betty back down. She had tears rolling down her cheeks. 

"Did he hurt you? Did he... t-touch you?" Betty nodded slowly pointing at her breast. She could see the fury in Jug's eyes. She clenched her fists tightly. 

"So. You knew she had a boyfriend, but you still touched her?" Jughead walked towards Rosebud and punched him in the jaw. "Don't you ever go near her again. Understand?" 

"Yeah. Got it. I'm sorry." Rosebud stumbles back to his spot with his drinking buddies.

Jughead walked back to Betty, noting her fists. He placed his hand between her hand and her nails. "Don't, Betts." His eyes were soft, "Are you okay?" She nodded wiping the tears from her eyes. He picked her up, with her wrapping her arms around his neck. Many of the bar goers watched as he took her to a room. The room had a desk, couch, and two chairs. Jughead's laptop sat on the desk. What she could assume was Jug's office was dull, but cozy.

He laid her down on the couch, "I'm so sorry, Betts." He was pacing back and forth, "I never should have left you alone. I swear it won't happen again." Betty stood, walking toward him.

"Calm down, Jug." She pulled his beanie off and ran her fingers through his hair.She leaned in to kiss him. "You protected me. It's all over now. I'm sure this whole bar will think twice about going near a girl with a boyfriend! Especially if you're the boyfriend!" She laughed, but he didn't. He was still fuming. 

"But it shouldn't have happened in the first place. I should have been there. I wasn't. I had left you all alone. I will never do that again." He said, pulling her in for another kiss.

"I know, Juggie. It's fine. I'll just have to learn to handle things myself." She gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

"Do you want to leave? We can leave... if that's what you want..." he was still frantically pacing. 

Betty cupped his cheeks in her hands, causing him to stop. "As long as I'm with you, I'll go anywhere."

"How about we go to Pops? A burger sounds nice right now..." he smirked.

"Sounds great. Carry me out?" She said wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Of course, my lady." He smiled and swept her off her feet. He flicked off the light switch with his elbow and left the room.

The serpents stared at the couple as they walked out. Betty caught a glimpse of Rosebud's face, his jaw was bruised and swollen. They made eye contact, but he quickly looked away.

When Jughead stepped outside, he put Betty down and walked towards his bike. They climbed on and sped off to Pops.  
___________________________________

The chiming of the bell made Pop glance up.

"Hi kids! A little later than usual... felt the need for a midnight snack?" Pop grinned his usual smile.

"As always!" Jughead smirked back.

The two walked to a booth and sat down. Betty tookJug's hand, noticing how swollen it was.

"Jug, you need to ice this..."

"Betts, I've punched a few people in my day. I think I'll be okay." He chuckled to himself, causing Betty to smile. "On the other hand..." he flipped Betty's hands over, reviewing the small crescent moons on her palms. He couldn't stand the fact that she did this to herself, "How about you?" She pulled her hands under the table. 

"The usual?" Pop asked. The couple nodded, and Pop walked back to the kitchen.

"I'm fine, Jug." She said sinking into her side of the booth.

"Betty, I know something is wrong. You wouldn't do this if you were fine." He had true concern and worry written all over his face.

"I said I'm fine, Jughead." She said coldly.

"Elizabeth Cooper, what is wrong? Why are you doing this?" Why did he use he use her full name again? He had used it this morning...

"Well, Forsythe, I'm fine. I just have a lot of pressure on me. From my mom, from school, just everything..." she had tears rolling down her cheeks. He decided to ignore the fact that she called him Forsythe.

"Come here." He patted the booth beside him. She reluctantly slid into the booth, resting her heard in the crook of his neck. She felt safe and content in his arms. She knew he would protect her.

"I-I'm sorry, Juggie..." she said between silent sobs.

"Stop apologizing for this. It's not your fault." He said, feeling the anguish rushing through his veins. 

"Here you are." Pop gave them two plates. Noticing Betty's tears, he asked, "Are you okay, Betty?" 

Betty quickly wiped her tears away, "Yes, Pop, I'm fine. Thank you." She snuggled into Jug even more.

Pop walked away, leaving them alone again.

"You need to seek help, Betts. You need to tell your mom." 

"NO!" She practically yelled, "No, Jug. I'm sorry, but I can't do that." She began to cry even harder.

"Betty, either you do it or I will. I'm not telling you to do this to hurt you, I'm telling you this to help you.

"But Jug-"

"No buts, Betty."


	3. We Need to Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They talk. That’s about it. \\_(•~•)_/

The ride back to Betty’s house was pretty much silent. Jughead knew that Betty wasn’t happy at his statement, but she had to tell someone. 

In the spur of the moment, he made a decision. He drove past the turn for Betty’s street and made a U-Turn, heading back towards the Southside.

“Where are we going?” Betty was a little panicked, “It’s almost 2 am, Jug. I need to get home.” 

“You will. We just need to do what we came to do. Talk.” She hugged his waist tightly, and rested her head on his back. She knew he was right, but she didn’t want to talk about it.

They pulled up to a cliff, looking over a beautiful lake. 

“Where are we, Juggie?” Betty slowly unwrapped her hands from his middle, taking in the view.

“This is where Mom, Jellybean and me would come to get away from Dad for a while until she decided to get away for good.” He climbed off the bike, putting out his hand for Betty. 

She took his hand, carefully pulling her leg over the seat. He pulled her towards the cliff and sat down, Betty following. 

They sat staring for about a minute before Jughead broke the silence. “Betts, why’re you doing this to yourself?” He tilted her chin up with one finger, brushing her cheek with his thumb.

“I... I don’t know, Jug. I just feel better. It helps...” she looked back down.

“Okay, so why won’t you tell someone, so they can help instead of- that...” He brushed his thumb over her palm, staring at the crescent moon shapes.

“Because my Mom wouldn’t understand like you do. She would send me away. I can’t tell her Jug, I just c-can’t...” she began to sob, leaning into his shoulder.

He instinctively pulled her into a tight hug. “It’s okay, Betts, you don’t have to worry about her sending you away. I will not let her take you away from me. Not now, Not ever.” She looked up at him, stealing a quick kiss.

“Thank you, Jug.” She nuzzled into the crook of his neck.

“But we still need to tell someone. What about the guidance counselor? She could help.” She rose up.

“And tell my Mom.” She pulled away from him, wrapping her arms around her knees.

“Okay... how about we work through this together?” He set his hand on her knee, causing her to look up.

“Okay.” She nodded, smiling a little.

“But, if you get any worse, I will have to tell someone. I love you, and I can’t bear to watch you do this to yourself.” Her smile faded.

“Okay.” She laid her head on her knees, Jug rubbing her back.  
___________________________________

Betty’s hair was flowing through the wind as they pulled up to her house.  
“Thank you, Jug. For the food... And for the... conversation.” She quickly pecked his lips, rushing to the ladder leant against her house.

She heard Jughead zoom away, hoping no one heard or saw him. She began to climb up the ladder, being sure to stay quiet.

As she entered the window, she was relieved to find no one waiting for her in her room. She glanced at the clock on the wall ‘2:36’ 

She quickly got into her pajamas and jumped in bed, her phone tbeeped

Jughead: I love you. Goodnight


End file.
